Philadelphia Union’s 14-year-old phenom Cavan Sullivan makes history in MLS debut
Fans welcome Cavan Sullivan as he takes a selfie with them.
By Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — Philadelphia Union’s 14-year-old phenom Cavan Sullivan made his Major League Soccer (MLS) debut in the club’s 5-1 win over the New England Revolution on Wednesday.
The midfielder made history, becoming the youngest player to make his regular-season debut among the top North American professional sports leagues (MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, NHL, NWSL and WNBA) at 14 years and 293 days old.
Freddy Adu previously held the mark for the youngest player to debut in the MLS, who made his debut for DC United in 2004 at 14 years and 306 days old.
Adu gave his congratulations to Sullivan for breaking his record in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Big congrats to Cavan Sullivan for his record breaking debut today,” Adu wrote. “That’s a hard record to break and the kid did it. Well done and good luck my man.”
Sullivan subbed on in the 85th minute and got cheers from the crowd on hand at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Sullivan, along with his older brother Quinn and the rest of his family, all posed for a picture on the field after the game. Quinn, who is a 20-year-old midfielder on the Union, scored in the 84th minute.
The Union, who currently sit last place in the Eastern Conference, got their fifth win of the season.
After the match, the younger Sullivan said that “this was just the start” when asked about the debut and his future in professional soccer.
“Really, really happy to have done this, but honestly, it’s the first box checked off – so long journey ahead,” Sullivan told reporters.
“I know it’s all about where you finish, not where you start, so I am just going to keep working, keep developing here. So my main focus is on Philadelphia and our season ahead.”
Sullivan said the fans are what “surprised” him the most playing at this level.
“Every time I touched the ball, they went crazy,” Sullivan told reporters after the game.
“Obviously, I dreamed of this day and had some pictures in my mind of what it would look like but just hearing them behind my back every time the ball was at my foot was crazy.”
Sullivan has been impressive since signing a four-year deal through 2028 for the largest homegrown contract in MLS back in May. He has made five starts with Philadelphia’s minor league team and scored in each of his last two matches.
According to ESPN, Sullivan has a release clause that will allow him to transfer to English Premier League side Manchester City after he turns 18.
The Union are next scheduled to play on Saturday when the club hosts Nashville SC.
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